Homeless: City Boots Off-Grid Woman Out Of House

Editor’s note: Hear our Off The Grid Radio interviews with Robin Speronis here and here.

A Florida woman who is at the center of a legal and political battle over off-grid living is now living in a tent in her backyard after the city kicked her out of her house, Off The Grid News has learned.

The city of Cape Coral, Florida, got a warrant and inspected Robin Speronis’ home and then posted a notice to vacate, giving her until Thursday to do so.

Speronis lives off-the-grid and does not use utility water or electricity, and maintains that her house is as sanitary as any home in the neighborhood. Her fight for the right to live self-sustainably has captivated the off-the-grid community.

Speronis tells Off The Grid News that she is essentially moving to tents in her backyard, thanks to help from her neighbors and friends.

“My community has been supporting me and yesterday donated two tents and other supplies to create an outdoor living area in my backyard,” she told Off The Grid News via email Wednesday. “I have a six-person tent and a four-person tent. As I have said before, I’ll let The Rutherford Institute do the legal fighting and I’ll do the living with the support of the community. We are all so powerful and we CAN create a beautiful world that no government can take away from us.”

Cape Coral uses what is called the International Property Maintenance Code, which the city says requires all residents to be hooked up to on-grid water and electricity. Speronis says she has the right to refuse both.

In February a judge ruled that Speronis must hook up to the city’s water system, although he said she did not have to use city electricity. The city dug up her yard and capped her sewer in March, an action that violated state law. They also took her dogs.

The city’s code enforcement posted the vacate notice over the weekend.

“I am such a threat to the city of Cape Coral that again they’ve had to make me, technically, legally, homeless. I am technically homeless right now,” Speronis told a local station, FOX 4. “They did enter my house. They were very cocky. They were very condescending,” Speronis added.

Speronis is a Christian, and said her faith has sustained her during the tough times.

“The Greek word for church, Ekklesia, means community,” she said. “I am Greek Orthodox. I am now living the truth that I believed when I started my urban off-grid adventure — that is you can’t live off-grid in an urban setting unless you have community — church.

Losing her dogs was tough, and she’s cried a lot over it, Speronis said. She said she felt God telling her not to worry about her dogs and that “special angels” were watching over them.

“Still, I do have to go through the necessary grieving process,” she said.

Her case appears headed to federal court after the Rutherford Institute — a nationally known civil liberties legal organization — got involved in early March. The case could set a precedent for off-the-gridders nationwide.

“The application of these burdensome rules, regulations, and inspection requirements against individuals attempting to live independent and environmentally sustainable lifestyles sends the wrong message: that citizens must be dependent on the state, whether or not they wish to be,” said John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute. “This case is emblematic of a growing problem in America today, namely, that bureaucrats and local governments will go to great lengths to perpetuate dependence and compliance with the nanny state.”

Speronis uses solar panels for electricity and collects rainwater for water. She cooks on a propane stove and keeps clean with a camping shower. She uses an alternative toilet system.

Should the city have removed Speronis from her house? Let us know in the comments below.

33 comments

No, they should not have removed her from her home. She has the right to live the way she wants in her own home. It is a violation of freedom, but then I’m not surprised, as today we are losing freedom after freedom as the government tries to get control of more and more aspects of our lives. That is NOT the grounds on which this country was founded and few people seem to care. The government needs to stop acting like our baby-sitter.

The issue from the government’s perspective (as has been noted) – is control. Assume they want you to abandon some or part of the city, and you refuse to leave. How do they enforce compliance? They turn off facilities that you’ve become dependent on, and don’t know how to do without. Those that aren’t prepared for a power outage (or otherwise can’t live without it) then comply with govt wishes, because they have no choice (because they don’t know anything else).

Our Great-Grandparents didn’t have electricity – and for at least “thousands of years” (millions, if you believe the evolutionists) – we’ve done without all these modern “necessities.” It’s about control – which they have through our dependence on “necessities.”

Stealing her dogs was government endorsed theft. Much like obamacare, taxing YOU to send someone else’s children to government school – where too many emerge from that horrible institution frequently unable to read.

i believe she should live the way she wants to, after all the government keeps on running that big mouth about global warming, then when some one tried to fight global warming it is illegal. i think the cities of this state and country need to stay out of peoples affairs and take care of their own. i have yet to meet a totally honest city or state official that is truly honest and not owned by big corporations . in my estamation all the city state and federal politicians are liars and theives

She fights for all of us. As solar panels and self contained sewage systems are created that free all of us from growing utility bills, the rich utility bond holders are terrified they will have to actually workfor a living as their bonds become worthless.

Independence is now withon allif our grasp if we defeatthe legalutilitynoosethese bond holders wsnt to keep around our necks. Own your land free and clear and take back your freedom!

I would hope that cooler heads would prevail here. “Perceived outside threats” could undo everything Robin has achieved whether the threats are real or not. We are praying for you Robin that this will be settled peacefully and for God’s glory.

We are watching from the north to see how this battle is going to go. There is a lot of people going off grid and/or looking at the possibilities and resistance has been minimal so far but I am sure that will change as more disconnect their utilities.
Good luck and God bless
We are on your side!!!!!!!

That is exactly what this is all about!! The government wants to own the only solar panels and wind mills. You will not be allowed to have them for your own green energy. If the wicked government could find a way to charge you for using the sun and wind then they wouldn’t care if you had solar panels, sun ovens or wind mills on your property!! We all need to ban together and fight these people in court. I knew it would come down to this someday!! SOMEDAY IS HERE FOLKS!!

Food security, personal security, home security are basic rights and should be protected at all costs. The governments of both countries are chipping away at the ability of families to be self supporting and self directed.
Case in point. The water board spent a lot of money encouraging everyone to save water. So many people saved water so well the water board had to raise the water rates because their revenue went down so much.

Officially and legally it’s ‘animal cruelty’, or that’s the reason they standing behind.

Originally it was a threat tactic to send animal control after her if she didn’t get back on the grid.

One of her dogs does appear to have a skin condition, but it doesn’t look serious, probably something like ringworm. It could be genetic, old age, or any other number of things. Poor doggies, you can see the small one in utter fear of being caged up and given no love by the state.

The governemnt is getting too involved in the lives of it’s citizens. We are losing more and more freedom daily. What this woman is doing is not wrong, she is not hurting the environment! Why did they take her dogs? What did the dogs do??? Pretty soon the U.S. will have it’s own civil war and you can thank the local, state and federal government for that.

I can see a civil war coming and God forbid they get the upper hand and impose gun control laws whereby a citizen is not allowed to own guns. They would love that no one has a gun and cannot defend themselves.

What was she doing wrong? As long as her home was clean and she kept her property nice how could anyone complain about her? I think it’s great that she found ways to live without paying for utilities she didn’t need. I support her.

What a wonderful woman. It’s amazing to me how the bureaucrats react to people who simply choose to not be a part of their corporate structure. Obviously, independent thinkers are a threat to them and, their idea of “community”, to borrow a word used by this sweet lady. The fact is, contempt does breed contempt and, there are times when that’s a good thing. Thank The Lord for the Rutherford institute, also. This action by the city to dap off her sewer is so wrong…and, in my opinion, proves that it’s time to follow what our Founding Fathers set forth in the Declaration of Independence. “When a government becomes so destructive to these rights (rights given to us by God) it is the right of the people to establish a new government”. I don’t do the actual words any justice but, that’s the basic idea that they left for us.

Has anyone ever noticed that these “Judges” that issue these criminal orders are always never mentioned by name? I have noticed that over and over again. I mean, let’s face it, they all are public servants that work for government. They all have a name other than “A Judge” and they all are subject to the same laws that we are subject to. This “Judge” has been manipulated by the same people that manipulate politicians.

The main question is “Who are these unscrupulous people that control the puppet strings of these Cape Coral Politicians and this state “A Judge.”

I just wonder of other people notice these things.

It is also very curious that wnen visiting the Cape Coral Government web page that they have not listed their email addresses. Every other city government web page that I have ever visited has listed the email addresses of the city and county government officials.
Just food for thought there but maybe these “city officials also do not have real names and are like the “A Judge” guy or gal that issues illegal verdicts.

prayers that she wins. and as an added bonus i hope she fries their butts!!!
this is so wrong. if they are so worried then they can do a sanitation inspection. the one and biggest reason they are doing it is because they are afraid that others will follow her lead and they and the power company will lose money…..
it always comes down to that, money.

Utility providers are monopolists. They reckon we need what they supply so they can charge what they like. Becoming self -sufficient breaks their monopoly – and could catch on among the growing single demographic. But going to the extent of telling a customer you MUST buy our product is even taking monopoly too far. It is extortion – legalised theft. Also the arrogance underlying this – the attitude we have got the right to take your money. How is this legal? Who is behind the legislation?

ALL freedom loving people need to take a paralegal course. Learn how to sue, or counter sue, any public employee in both their official and/or individual capacity. Sue the government entity in its governmental and/or propriety capacity. The best defense is an offense. So attack, attack, attack. Show them no quarter and they will eventually leave you alone. It’s time consuming, but it can be done. Very few, if any lawyers will go really all out.

These comments make me chuckle…she knowingly violated city code rather than live in a place that allows for her lifestyle.
She could have 1. Created a coalition to change the code 2. Simply paid the $20/month to hook up (how much has this action cost her in time, money and stress?) 3. Moved to an area with codes that allow for her lifestyle.
She brought this upon herself and even has months if unpaid sewer fees (she was connected and using the city’s sewer system) which is why she was disconnected.
She has the freedom to choose one of the above, and also the choice to act like an idiot and create non-controversies such as this…

James, please do some research before commenting. If you tried at all to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, you would discover quickly that there are very few counties in this country (if any) that allow her lifestyle. Even counties that don’t enforce the UBC or IBC still have septic/sewer requirements. And before you make some off-the-cuff remark about why those are necessary, please research composting, humanure and compare the number of epidemics that have resulted from composting (zero) to those that have resulted from water-based waste disposal (cholera, dysentery, “The Plague”, etc.).

The International Code Council (ICC) is a body who developed the International Building Code (IBC) to which the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) is just one aspect of controls being instituted. The ICC is in fact implementing what’s called Smart Growth that promote Smart Grid technologies, Smart Codes all in the name of “Sustainable Development”, the code word for their agenda for the 21st Century. Simply put it’s an implementation of the United Nations Agenda 21 signed in 1992. This is an “International” body and therefore under the purview of very powerful organizations which are all in bed with the Globalist Collectives “New World Order” (that’s what they call it) to include their exclusive venue at the United Nations. This is the main story here. That people are suffering due to it is the main story not even being spot lighted.

I beleive that society and goverment should not dictate how someone should live their life. Only god has that right. If this woman wants to live a life of self sufficiency then that is here chioce not socieity”s or goverment. I know that there are laws we all must follow,but laws against self defense,self reliance,or self sufficiency is wrong. The point is they don’t make any money off you and infuriates them because they cannot control you by making you dependent on the system,because their need for money is ruling there life and lifestyle. And if they allow one to get away with it others will follow.

I can assure you that its all about “Conquer & Divide” to keep people in control and out of government’s affairs. They want us all to bow down and kiss the jack boots of police city officials hid behind.

Its now illegal to be homeless in America. Soon it will be illegal to be in your own house for any reason they dream up !

We all need to support the efforts of this lady who is defending a nation of Off-the-Grid folks.

Hundreds of militia members and oath keepers traveled from across the country to defend a rancher. Where are they now? This is a clear violation of her personal rights and property rights. They should show up, unboard her house and defend her right to live on her in the manner she chooses.